Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Season of Shadows
by WonderousBread
Summary: A Charmander who desperately wants to join the Rescue Force, their continents rescue guild, discovers a human turned Cubone washed up near his house. Soon after, they are wrapped into an investigation where Pokemon are being kidnapped, but no one knows who is doing it. Will the Force be able to discover who is doing it before it's too late?


Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Season of Shadows

EPISODE I, CHAPTER I: A Friend in Need

A full moon showered the nearby water in moonlight. A slight breeze passed by and blew leaves and sent ripples into the still lake.

A Charmander sat on the shore, looking out over the water. His scales were deep orange and his tail was short compared to others of his species. He had a scar on his left cheek. He was outside due to lack of sleep, a usual pastime for him the last couple of days.

As he sat in silence, a Charizard approached him from behind. "What are you doing out here, Solaris?"

"Oh, its nothing, Dad," Solaris said. "Just the normal lack of sleep."

"If something is bothering you, you can talk to me about it, you know," Charizard said. "I don't like to see you like this all the time." He sat down next to Solaris, putting an arm around him.

"Well, its just…." Solaris struggled to find the words he was looking for. "I just wonder if I'll ever join the force."

"The Rescue Force?" Charizard asked. "Of course, you can. You just need a partner, and to bulk up."

"That won't ever happen," Solaris said, tearing up. "No one wants to hang out with me because my features are different than everyone else."

"Well, its just a matter of needing to go out and explore more of the city," Charizard said, pointing toward Alstroemeria, the continents capital. "If you go looking around, you may find someone you desperately need to lift your spirits. Maybe even to help you train."

"I guess," Solaris started then stopped himself. "."

"I'm not the one to answer that. That is all up to you to" Charizard said. "Now let's go back in for the night."

"Alright," Solaris said. "Thanks for speaking with me, Dad."

"It's what I am here for."

Charizard and Solaris returned to their shack. As they were returning, however, a small light appeared in the water. After a few minutes, a body washed up on the shore.

Solaris was able to sleep soundly after his late-night chat with his Dad. When he woke up, he went out to the shore of the lake to try and train. When he went out there, however, he saw the body of a Cubone laying in the water.

"Oh no!" Solaris rushed over to help out the unconscious Cubone. He lifted his arms and dragged Cubone onto the shore. Solaris placed his head onto Cubone's chest. No heartbeat.

"Alright, Solaris, remember what dad taught you." He whispered to himself. He placed his hands onto Cubone's chest and began to push in on a steady rhythm. Solaris continued this for several minutes, breaking only to check if Cubone's heart began beating again.

Eventually, Cubone spat up a mouthful of water and resumed breathing. Solaris sighed in relief, watching as Cubone's chest slowly rose and fell. After what seemed like forever, Cubone opened his eyes.

"Whoa, take it easy. You washed up on shore. How are you feeling?" Solaris asked. He helped Cubone up into a sitting position. "And more importantly, what were you doing in the middle of the lake?"

"W-Where am I?" Cubone asked. He looked around, unsure of what was happening.

"Uh, you're on the Flora Continent." Solaris said, confused. "You do live around here, right?"

"How can I understand Pokemon?" Cubone asked. "I am supposed to be human."

"Human?" Solaris asked, cocking his head to the right. "You do know you're a Cubone, right?"

"Huh?" Cubone looked at his body. He had brown skin, a short stubby tail, a bone in his right hand, and a skull he felt on his head. "W-What the!? I'm a Cubone!?"

Solaris watched and waited as Cubone ran in circles until he fell down, dizzy. Solaris scratched the back of his head, walking toward Cubone. "Do you have a name, at least?"

"I'm Zane. What's yours?" Cubone, or rather Zane, extended his hand. Solaris looked at Zane's hand for a little bit before extending his own for a handshake.

"I'm Solaris." The two shook hands and stared back at each other.

Zane broke the silence. "So what were you doing out here all by yourself?"

"I am going to train." Solaris said. "I am planning to join the Rescue Force."

"Rescue Force?" Zane asked.

"Yeah. Here, we have what are called Mystery Dungeons. They're labyrinths that change based on the season. When a new season rolls over, much like a flower, certain dungeons will close while others open. The ones that close will remained shut off until that particular season rolls around again."

When Zane remained silent, Solaris continued. "The Rescue Force is a combination of regular police force and rescue teams, specialized teams that help out the local Pokemon with their problems. I want to join, but I need a partner." Solaris looked down after he finished his sentence.

"Why don't you ask someone? You have friends, right?"

Solaris winced. "No…." He paused for a split second. "I… don't have that much confidence in myself. Plus, my training hasn't taken me anywhere. I feel like no matter how hard I train out here, I can't get any stronger. Almost like I've reached my limit." Solaris looked down at his claws.

"I see…" Zane then immediately perked up. "Well, why don't we join together? It sounds like fun."

Solaris looked him in the eye. He had only just met Zane. He wasn't sure if he could go through with it. "But why? We only just met."

"Because I want to help my friend chase his dreams."

When Zane finished his sentence, Solaris looked at him in shock. He wanted…. To be his friend? Solaris couldn't help but flash back to the previous night.

"_If you go looking around, you may find someone you desperately need to lift your spirits."_

Solaris continued to stare off blankly. Zane gave him a confused look. "What? We're friends, right?"

Zane was shocked to see Solaris teary-eyed. "W-Wait, no! Was it something I said?"

Solaris then went in for a hug. "No. I just haven't heard anyone ask me to be a friend in a long time. It's made me feel happy again."

Zane returned the hug. "I'm glad I could help you find one."

After they broke off their hug, Zane asked, "So, we were going to train?"

"Ah, right! Sorry." Solaris cleaned himself up. "I'll teach you the basics of how to use a move. I can't teach you which ones to use, so it will be hard work. You ready?"

Zane smacked his right fist into his left. "Yeah, let's do it!" The two bumped fists and smiled at each other.

Solaris' dad walked out to see the duo training together. He couldn't help but smile.

He was then spotted by Solaris, who ran over to him, Zane in tow. "Ah, I see you have found a partner."

"I have! This is Zane, and he's going to be staying with us."

"Oh? Well that's fine by me." He gestured Zane forward. "I just want to welcome you to the family."

"O-okay." Zane seemed flustered by the presence of Solaris' father. "What should I call you, sir?"

"By my name, Flare." Flare pulled in Zane for a hug and squeezed. Zane's eyes bulged out of his head as he struggled to breath.

"D-Dad! You're crushing him! Let up!" Solaris shouted.

Flare let Zane go, air rushing into his lungs as he slumped to the ground. Flare couldn't help but laugh. "Haha, whoops. Sorry about that! I forget my own strength sometimes."

Zane stood up, using his bone for support. "N-No worries."

"Well then, now that you have a partner, why don't you two get some training in, huh?"

"On it!" Zane and Solaris shouted in unison as they rushed back to the beach. Flare leaned against his house, watching.

"_I'm glad you've found someone, Solaris. You two will make a great team. I can feel it in my bones."_

CITY OF ALSTROEMERIA

After several weeks of training, Solaris and Zane approached the front of the Rescue Force building. It was a large dome wooden dome that was built into a mountain. On the front, many smaller shields formed a circle around the continent's emblem: a large shield with a bouquet of flowers in the middle.

Solaris was able to learn Ember and Mega Punch and Zane was able to learn Bone Club and Substitute. Both gained slightly more muscle in the short time they trained together.

"You ready?" Solaris asked. Zane nodded, and they entered the building together.

RESCUE FORCE HQ

Solaris and Zane approached a small desk at the front of the building, where a Furfrou sat, reading a book. "Hello. We would like to join. How do we go about doing that?" Solaris asked.

The Furfrou placed her book down and looked down with a bored and judgmental look. She then sighed in annoyance and placed a paw onto a button. "Depeche, you have new applicants."

A voice rang from the speaker. "Excellent, send them my way."

Furfrou turned to Solaris and Zane. "It's the third door on your right." She quickly returned her book.

"Thank you!" Solaris said. He and Zane jogged down the hallway. He and Zane jogged down the hallway, quickly reaching their destination: a wooden door that had had worn down paint marks. It had clearly seen better days.

They steeled their nerves and knocked. A muffled voice rang out from the other side. "Come in, come in!"

Solaris opened the door to find a room filled to the brim with awards and knickknacks. In the corner sat a Blaziken behind a desk. He motioned for Solaris and Zane to enter the room.

"Hello, my name is Depeche. I heard you two wanted to join."

"T-That's right!" Solaris blurted out louder than he wanted to. He immediately went red and looked away, sweating profusely.

Depeche let out a hearty laugh. "Now, now. No need to appear so nervous! Just try to relax." He went to the front of his desk and sat on top of it. "Let's do this. What are your names?"

Solaris took a second to compose himself, then stared back forward. "I am Solaris, and this is Zane."

"Solaris as in Flare's son?"

"Y-Yes sir." Solaris said. He looked to be on the verge of tears at the mention of his dad.

"Huh. Like father, like son I guess." Depeche cleared his throat then continued. "If you two want to join, then you will need to pass a test."

"What kind of test, sir?" Zane asked.

"An easy assignment. I save all of my easy ones for the new recruits. Before that, though, we'll need a team name for you guys."

Solaris looked over at Zane, who then nodded and spoke up. "We would like to be named Team Destiny sir."

"Destiny, huh? Alright then. This will be Team Destiny's first assignment." Depeche turned into his desk and picked up a piece of paper. He handed it to Zane who then shared it with Solaris. "This Zigzagoon is currently missing. We have been unable to find out her name, so we are codenaming her Brown-Stripe."

When Team Destiny had no questions, he continued. "She was last seen in Lilac Forest. Your objective for this first assignment is to go out and look for her. If you spot her, you are to radio in to HQ and call for a backup team. If there are any wild 'mons, defeat the ones you can, and try not to harm Brown-stripe. Don't do anything reckless. Am I clear?"

Solaris and Zane nodded. "Good," Depeche said. "There are some trainee scarves on the door. Wear them so the other folks don't kick you out."

Solaris and Zane each grabbed a gray scarf and tied them around their necks. When they were all set, they turned to Depeche. "Very good! Report to Rush down the hall and she'll get you equipped and sent out. Dismissed."

As they were walking out, Depeche called back to them. "Oh, and welcome to Primrose Force."

Solaris and Zane walked around the halls of Force HQ. They reached a long hallway, plastered from ceiling to floor with awards and photos of past achievements, officers, and rescue teams. Solaris came to rest on a photo of his dad, who held a stoic pose. Zane, not noticing, continued walking.

"_Alright, dad. Time to go out on my first mission. I'm going to make you proud!"_

Zane shouted from around the corner at the end of the hallway. "Hey Solaris, I found her!"

Snapping back to attention, Solaris ran around the corner and spotted Zane, who was resting in front of a Pikachu wearing gloves and goggles.

"Jeez, Zane, don't leave me behind like that!" Solaris was completely out of breath. He didn't realize how long the hallway was.

The Pikachu's ears perked up and she looked up to find Team Destiny. "Hey there! Name's Rush. You two must be Zane and Solaris, the new recruits Depeche told me about!"

"How did you-?" Zane started

"Find out so fast?" Rush finished. "You'll come to find out word spreads quicker than a brush fire around here." She pulled out their assignment paper. "Alrighty, standard exploration mission." She paused briefly. "Brown-Stripe, huh? Ol' Depeche has been holding on to this one for a while. Lemme get you your equipment." She then dashed so fast neither Solaris nor Zane saw her.

"Well she's… quirky." Zane said, dumbfounded.

"No kidding." Solaris said, having an even more dumbfounded look on his face. A second later, Rush returned holding a bunch of equipment and shoved all of it into Solaris' hands, which consisted of a bag, radio, and electronic pad. "First things first, your bag. Put any items you find in here. Secondly, your radio. Use this to contact us when you find Brown-Stripe. Thirdly, your map. This will update as you explore around any dungeon you're in. It will also teleport you to your destination." Solaris slung the bag around his shoulder and shoved the map and radio into it.

"And Finally, your badges." Rush handed each of them a silver badge. The badge, in the shape of a shield, didn't have the continents logo on it like the outside of the building did. Rather, it had a single, blooming primrose in its center that spread to every edge. "These show you're a part of Primrose squad. It will also teleport anyone you find back to Alstroemeria." She then paused. "Well, not these ones anyway. They're only for those going on these test missions."

Rush sighed of relief. "Okay, that's everything you will need. Go stand over on the pad behind you."

Team Destiny turned around to see two small circular pads on the floor. Solaris could have sworn there weren't any pads there earlier but chose to keep his mouth shut. They went and each stood on one.

"I have already programmed in Lilac Forest into your map. Just go ahead and tap it and you'll be whooshed away!" Rush raised her arms up and spread them as far as she could.

Solaris opened the map and saw Lilac Forest appear. Solaris looked over at Zane. "You ready?"

Zane looked back and nodded. "Ready. Let's go."

Solaris then tapped the screen and watched as his world turned completely white.


End file.
